The Bottom Line of BIM

There’s always lots of buzzwords being thrown out around the architecture and construction industry- sustainability, BIM, integrated project delivery, etc- it can be hard to keep up! We understand that some of these words and concepts can seem idealistic and impractical, or just plain confusing. These ideas, however, can be incredibly useful. BIM is one such concept that is very helpful as designers and project managers, and our staff team would like to explain why we offer it as a service and how it is a value-added benefit for our clients.

Building Information Modeling(BIM) describes the process of creating a digital model of a project or building that is utilized throughout the design and construction process. This model begins in the early phases of schematic design and is used for visualization, constructability, detailing, coordination between consultants, and information about the building or project. Practically, this allows designers and clients to see a conceptual design in three dimensions early in the design process, helping all parties understand the project. It also allows the design team to construct the project virtually before dirt is ever moved, and gives the capability to combine all consultants’ drawings into one model for coordination. This forces details and areas of the design that may be overlooked in a typical 2D application to be resolved as a complete building, saving questions, time, coordination issues, and costs in the field. Additionally, as changes are inevitably made in the design process, those changes are made in real-time in plan, section, elevation, and three-dimensionally, reducing omissions in drawings and time required to make these changes. Building models can hold an incredible amount of information, making material takeoffs, thermal properties of assemblies, code requirements, and building information much easier to generate and calculate, as all the components are right there in the model, ready to be totaled or evaluated.

What does this all mean for clients?

We’ll go into more detail in subsequent blog posts, but in general BIM creates a holistic approach to building design by allowing much easier visualization of a project before it is built, creating cost savings throughout the design and construction phases, and giving a better ability to predict life-cycle costs of the building. Stay tuned!